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Tuesday, July 26, 2016

On Father's Day, we discovered our cat, Guinevere, was pregnant---and in labor! (Observant bunch, we are...) She had her kitties the next day, but we had no idea where she hid them. Well, early last week Selah discovered one who had come up to eat with mama. A few days later, Michael and Selah discovered there were actually two! The next day---four!! Ha!

The kids are wanting to keep them all, of course. I'm considering maybe ONE. We'll see...

Saturday, July 23, 2016

As a child, Alice had her fill of adventures in Wonderland. Now that she's all grown up, she's ready for more excitement, traveling through time and space.

For this year's Mad Tea Party, Time-Traveling Steampunk Alice traveled through history to gather her best literary friends and brought them all back to 2016 for a book-themed summer tea party.

The friends all sat down to sweet treats, tasty drinks, and some fun reading. I think Alice had a little too much fun when choosing book selections for her friends. Prissy Charlotte Bronte was absolutely scandalized when she read the details of Jane Austen's Letters!

Jane, never one to worry much about what people think of her, just shrugged it off saying, "Hey, it was the 90s!"

Miss Austen did get nostalgic when she noticed her tea cup featured the same Blue Willow pattern that her family used in their home in Steventon when she was growing up. "How thoughtful, dear Alice," she remarked.

When Alice asked Miss Jo March of Little Women fame if she was enjoying the party, she said, "Of course! There's books!" Rebel Jo asked for lemonade over tea---and Alice was happy to oblige.

She was especially interested to browse what Ms. Alcott had written about her future in, Jo's Boys, but she was careful not to read too much---spoilers!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz's Dorothy Gale amused herself at this corner of the table with a copy of Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales.

Bookish Belle spent the entire time just like this---with her nose in a book. Belle is somewhat of a time-traveler herself as some researchers believe the Beauty and the Beast story to be over 4,000 years old! No wonder she's such an avid reader---she's had a lot of time to enjoy the best works throughout history!

Sweet Laura Ingalls was the youngest at the party---I'm surprised Pa and Ma let her come along. I guess Time-Traveling Alice can drop her back into history a short time before she left and they'll never know she was gone!

After the party, the girls gathered outside for a group photo before Alice took them all home to their proper places in history. What a lovely idea for a tea party, Alice! Goodbye, friends!

Sunday, July 10, 2016

One of the most difficult things for me as a growing Christian has been to find the point at which I shut my mouth. Many people have issues with opening their mouths...but for me, I process things the best when I'm discussing them with others. Unfortunately, I've learned that not everyone is interested in being as bold with their points of view and it's made for some discussions that have turned into unhealthy debates.

Oftentimes, I feel like I'm defending myself and my beliefs and I wonder, is this what Peter meant when he said we should be ready to give to every man an answer for the hope that's in us? Is that only referencing spreading the gospel or does that also apply to the ways in which we live out our faith?

We hear, "live and let live"---but then Titus 2 lays out the plan for women to influence one another---so how are we to live that out if we're always minding our own business?

A few days ago, a friend told me on Facebook that she appreciated how I shared thoughts and convictions without pointing the finger or making others feel bad if they don't share my point of view. Another friend said even though she and I have many differences in philosophy, my posts really made her think. That is so so so hard to do, let me tell you, and I get it wrong more often than I get it right.

I'm often tempted to shut my mouth and just worry about myself. People say that talking about something on Facebook or in other social media (or even in person!) is worthless unless you're willing to put action behind the rhetoric. That may be so in some cases, but it's not always so---and "action" doesn't have to mean leaving the ministry you're called to in order to make a difference somewhere else. Sometimes intelligent people need to begin intelligent discussions. Sometimes moms share their strong convictions with their children who go out in the world to be history makers. Sometimes writers give life to ideas that doers can run with.

These are just some things I'm thinking about today. I'd love to hear your point of view!